Also: ACR Takes On Blue Sky Network, New ACE Director, Ingenuity Phones Home, Virgin Orbit

ANN has learned that the 2022 DeLand Sport Aviation Showcase is NOT going to happen, according to Airport Manager John Eiff, who noted that, "hopefully, we can do  something next year..." in response to questions about the event's future as we learned that Event Boss Jana Filip had left her position with the city. Filip was well-known to be the backbone of the event, after creating it to pick up where she left off after departing a similar event in Sebring, FL, which went AWOL thereafter. Filip had kept the DSAS event alive despite two years of pandemic related issues as well as lackluster support from the city government... Textron Aviation celebrated the delivery of its first Cessna SkyCourier to Federal Express (FedEx). The SkyCourier is a high-wing twin-engine utility turbo-prop aircraft, and is expected to be the first of 50 such aircraft for whic

Also: Virgin Atlantic’s About-Face, Drone Safety Day, ALPA Targets Mismanaged Bailouts, ERAU Av-APP

Textron recently received FAA type certification for the Cessna Citation XLS Gen 2, and a lucky long-time operation was the recipient for the first unit off the production line. According to Mr. Lannie O’Bannion, Senior VP, Global Sales & Flight Operations, “loyal Citation customers inspire us to continually invest in bringing the latest design and technology to our product line.” Fuel pricing is skyrocketing... again. Word on the ramp is that Jet A prices, in some areas, equal or exceed that of 100LL, regardless of whether you’re at the pump or the truck. Those whose winged chariots run on 100LL are probably accustomed to seeing bargain basement Jet A prices that cater to the few shiny birds that choose to stop by, versus the prices a piston-driver may typically see. SpaceX is going to keep waiting on the ever-tar

Also: Virgin Atlantic’s About-Face, Drone Safety Day, ALPA Targets Mismanaged Bailouts, ERAU Av-APP

Textron recently received FAA type certification for the Cessna Citation XLS Gen 2, and a lucky long-time operation was the recipient for the first unit off the production line. According to Mr. Lannie O’Bannion, Senior VP, Global Sales & Flight Operations, “loyal Citation customers inspire us to continually invest in bringing the latest design and technology to our product line.” Fuel pricing is skyrocketing... again. Word on the ramp is that Jet A prices, in some areas, equal or exceed that of 100LL, regardless of whether you’re at the pump or the truck. Those whose winged chariots run on 100LL are probably accustomed to seeing bargain basement Jet A prices that cater to the few shiny birds that choose to stop by, versus the prices a piston-driver may typically see. SpaceX is going to keep waiting on the ever-tar

Also: Pentagon Cooks Drones, Paper Wings, Wingcopter 198, Joby Testing Noise

Recognizing the importance of keeping abreast of the technological developments in the industry, the FAA is reconsidering its approach to the certification of eVTOLs. On 16 December 2016, the FAA published the final rule representing an overhaul of airworthiness standards for GA airplanes, specifically in an attempt to enable faster adoption of “innovative safety-enhancing technologies into small airplanes, while reducing costs for the aviation industry.” DJI recently launched its DJI Mini 3 Pro, a palm-able device weighing a tad over 0.5 lbs, featuring tri-directional obstacle sensing, true vertical shooting, focus track, and 4K HDR video. DJI promises extended flight time of just over 30 minutes, however, with the Intelligent Flight Battery Plus, you may expect a bit above 45 minutes. The Hawaiian fishing community is awaiting the outcome of Governor David

ScaleWings’ SW51 Makes P51 Mustang Affordable At 70% Scale For About 6.5% of Mustang Price

Sebastian Glueck, Business Development Manager with Scale Wings began our conversation by stating “we finally made it to Sun and Fun 2022 in Lakeland.” ScaleWings, a company that hails from Germany, started around 2011 with an idea from its founder. The idea was to scale up replica of his remote-control (RC) aircraft that was precise in detail. He crowd-sourced a poll to determine which iconic aircraft he should up-Scale. The majority vote was for the P51 Mustang, so he began with pictures of a real Mustang, handcrafting molds for the aircraft that ended up being 70% true scale of the real Mustang. He persevered with exact detail, so that every split line, every rivet, and every screw is in the exact place. Luckily for them, the kit arrived in New York three days ago, they had it driven down to Florida, just in time t

Also: ERAU Pilot APP, RESIDCO Launches, CAP Is NOT Lost In Space, Epic Flight Academy

Eric Crump’s storied history in aviation reaches new heights with his appointment as Director of the Aerospace Center Excellence (ACE), beginning 1 June 2022. Mr. Crump was founder/director of the Polk State College Aerospace Program in since 2012, and grown the aviation program from scratch to a student body of almost 300. Additionally, he was the driving force behind making Polk State College in Florida the first to offer a BS degree in Aerospace Sciences. In an interesting twist that Virgin Atlantic referred to as a ‘rostering error, an international flight that has just departed Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the United Kingdom bound for JFK did an about face and returned to base. Some 30+ minutes into the flight, it was discovered that the First Officer (FO) had not completed a ‘final flight assessment.’ Late last year, two Training and A

JetBlue Refuses To Accept Spirit No Interested In Its Merger Offer

In what amounts to more ‘unwelcome advances’, it seems JetBlue is unwilling to accept that No means No. A few weeks ago we reported that Spirit and Frontier Airlines had come to an agreement to combine forces and capitalize on additional market reach, while retaining their respective identities, operational control, and neither having to jettison existing routing or staff.

Also: Hydrogen Propulsion, Starship Review Postponed, Astronics CorePower, Aero-TV At AUVSI 2022

The FAA is inviting the drone community to be part of its 2022 Drone Safety Day campaign on Saturday, June 18. This year’s campaign will be a one-day national event, to encourage drone pilots and recreational flyers to “Fly RIGHT.” Since 2019, the FAA has hosted the annual campaign dedicated to drone safety and best practices. Safety is a shared responsibility that requires the community and the FAA to work together. Autel Robotics has announced the availability of software updates for its EVO series of drones, specifically the Nano and Lite editions, as well as a software update for its Autel Sky App. Rocket Lab sent up its 26th Electron rocket, deployed 34 satellites into space, and caught a rocket booster after its reentry from space with a helicopter!  This mission, named ‘There And Back Again’, popped up from La

Captain Bye’s A-10 Gun Experienced A Catastrophic Failure

“Where’s the ground? Where’s the ground?” No one wants to ask this question while flying. For Capt. Taylor Bye, an A-10C Thunderbolt II pilot assigned to the 23rd Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, this question blared through her mind when she faced a looming crisis during a routine training sortie two years ago. The experience tested her capabilities as an aviator and her ability to maintain a level head. For her extraordinary skill and airmanship, Bye was awarded the 2020 Koren Kolligian, Jr. Trophy by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., at the Pentagon, May 11.

NIFA SAFECON 2022 Competition: Collegiate Flight Programs Win

The National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Safety And Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) 2022, hosted by the Ohio State University, has announced the winners of this year’s competition. The top 3 ‘Scoring Contestant’ schools and ‘Top Pilots’ were from: University of North Dakota (UND), Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott (ERAU-P), and LeTourneau University-Longview (LU-L) respectively. Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation (SCAN): First and second place taken by UND with 3rd place by ERAU-P. First through third-place “team” Championship went to ERAU-P, UND, and LU-L respectively.